Twin Hearts, Imperial Chains

Chapter 10 – The True Beginning

*Glimpses of an Untold Past*

Valencia and Felsina stepped inside together. The place was full of strong men and mercenaries. It didn’t seem safe in the slightest.

But the moment they took off their black cloaks, all the men stood up and bowed respectfully.

One of them stepped forward and asked, “What is it that you seek, my ladies, coming at such a late hour?”

Felsina replied calmly, “Let’s talk inside.”

They entered the administration room. Valencia sat in the office chair while Felsina began searching through the documents stored in the cabinet.

She turned to the man who had escorted them and said, “Come on, Gustav. Help me find the request the Duke of the North submitted.”

After a few minutes of searching, Gustav found the request and handed it to her. Valencia and Felsina began working on it—it was a request for information about the Emperor.

Moments later, the file was ready.

Valencia said, “Look, Gustav. The Duke’s file is done. Deliver it today at six in the morning.”

Gustav hesitated. “Understood, but… didn’t you say we should forget about the Duke’s request and leave it aside?”

Felsina replied, “We’ve changed our minds. The amount he offered pleased us, and we figured it would be better to invest that money into expanding the guild’s influence—until it becomes the most famous guild on the continent.”

With delight, Gustav said, “A wise decision. I will send it on time.” He left the room cheerfully, humming, “Money, money… yes, money is coming!”

Valencia turned to her sister. “Now, how about we get some actual work done? Let’s review the guild’s affairs. After all, we’ve only visited it once since founding it.”

▬ A Brief Flashback ▬

How did we discover the secret passage in the Butterfly Palace? And how was the **Polius Guild** truly founded?

A few months ago, when we were just three years old, we were in our room. Valencia looked at an old painting and said, “Everything in the Butterfly Palace is fascinating and special… except that painting. It looks old and tucked away in the corner.”

Felsina replied, “Why don’t we take a closer look?”

Valencia nodded. “Yes, let’s. I’m curious now. You know nothing in this palace is odd without a reason.”

They stood beneath the painting. Valencia placed a chair beneath it and climbed on. “Climb on my shoulders—but carefully.”

Felsina carefully climbed onto her sister’s shoulders and took down the painting. It was faded, dull, and showed a woman with a masked shadowy figure behind her.

Felsina said, “Everything about this painting screams mystery. Could its presence in our room be mere coincidence? And why hasn’t anyone cleaned it? It’s covered in dust.”

“I don’t want to draw attention,” Valencia replied. “Let’s leave it as is. Now get on the chair—I’ll put it back.”

When Valencia climbed onto Felsina’s shoulders to return the painting, she felt a hollow space in the wall behind it.

“There’s definitely a difference,” she said. “There’s an empty space behind this wall.”

She pressed the wall—and a small opening appeared.

“I’m going in,” she said. She climbed inside and helped Felsina in after her.

The passage was tight but wide enough to walk upright. It felt like a maze.

“I think it runs through the whole palace,” said Felsina. “Let’s go straight and avoid any turns.”

At the end of the passage, they saw something that changed their lives: the outside world.

It was still noon, and as soon as they stepped outside, they felt a strange energy inside them.

Valencia said, “What is this? Magical energy? Why now, of all times?”

“How will we even blend in with our small size?”

Felsina replied, “Let’s learn magic, then. Since our powers awakened now, we need to control them secretly—and the outside world is the best option.”

Valencia added, “That painting, this passage… the timing of our powers… it doesn’t feel like a coincidence.”

“Exactly,” said Felsina. “Let’s learn everything we can. First: magic. It’ll help us—maybe even change our age or appearance.”

They continued walking until they reached a large marketplace filled with sorcerers, people, libraries, and workers.

Valencia smiled. “We’ve found the gateway to knowledge—our open book. Let’s make the most of it.”

They kept entering and exiting the passage, studying magic at a temple. The temple priest adored their passion for learning. Of course, no one knew their real identities.

They kept learning more and more.

Two months after discovering the passage, an idea struck them.

“What if we start our own project?” said Valencia. “We already have so many ideas.”

“A good idea,” said Felsina. “It should be something powerful—like mercenaries or a force that deals in secrets.”

Valencia replied, “Let’s found an organization—a guild. It’ll start small, and when its name gains traction, we’ll expand it.”

Felsina added, “For funding… there are plenty of valuable items in the Butterfly Palace. If some disappear, no one will notice. Besides, everything technically belongs to us.”

And so they started gathering people, securing a location, and honing their magical skills to make themselves appear older.

Eventually, they succeeded in casting a spell that made them look like adults temporarily. They met Gustav, who became the guild’s vice president, and hired several mercenaries he recommended.

In no time, the **Polius Guild** gained strength, sensitive information, and financial power by completing missions.

It quickly earned people’s trust by preserving both sides’ interests. And all of it started… with money.

As the saying goes: Power lies in money, and money in power.

Back to the present…

Felsina said, “Enough, Valencia. It’s time to return. We’re running out of time.”

“Let’s go,” Valencia replied.

On their way out, Gustav was waiting.

“Welcome back,” he said with a warm smile. “It truly made me happy to see you again.”

Valencia nodded. “Good job, Gustav. You’ve handled so much with skill. I won’t forget it. And you’ll be generously rewarded in the future.”

She pulled a pouch of coins from her pocket and handed it to him.

Gustav’s eyes sparkled. “Thank you! Thank you, my lady! You’re the best—I’ll do anything for you!”

Felsina added, “Then Gustav, I want you to start searching for talented individuals—especially sorcerers. Prepare a list of names. Don’t let anyone know, and don’t exclude anyone—even a child with strong magic.”

“Of course! Leave it to me!”

After leaving the guild, the sun had already risen. It was five in the morning.

“Let’s hurry,” said Valencia. “We’ve been gone for hours. Someone might notice.”

They reached the room safely—no one had noticed.

“Finally,” sighed Felsina. “I can sleep. So much happened tonight, I’m really—”

She fell asleep mid-sentence.

Valencia smiled faintly. “Yes… so much happened. But the most surprising part wasn’t seeing my future self—it was the amount of money we now have.”

“One million. That’s a huge number for a guild that only began a few months ago. And the Duke’s offer alone was worth a fortune.”

“I’ve hit two birds with one stone—his money, and a future far from the Emperor.”

She lay down beside her sister.

“There’s still so much to figure out. That strange painting… the hidden passage… the palace’s magical barrier. Was this all planned? Or was it the late Empress’s doing?”

“Nothing in the Butterfly Palace is ordinary. They shouldn’t have called it the Palace of Butterflies, but the Palace of Fangs.”

Everything here… is a mystery.

“What is all this…?”